Moong Dal with Spinach (Dal palak)

﻿Moong dal with spinach is a wonderful healthy combination of green. This is a great way to get your greens and protein. It is an easy, healthy and flavorful dal made with palak (Spinach) and moong dal (green grams) and tempered with tomato, onion and garlic tadka. This is a very adaptable awesome dish and cooked in different ways with different lentils and different spices depending on the region where it is cooked and personal preferences. It is a main course dish can be served with rice or chapattisMoong dalwith spinach is a wonderful healthy combination of green. This is a great way to get your greens and protein. It is an easy, healthy and flavorful dal made with palak (Spinach) and moong dal (green grams) and tempered with tomato, onion and garlic tadka.

This is a very adaptable awesome dish and cooked in different ways with different lentils and different spices depending on the region where it is cooked and personal preferences. It is a main course dish and can be served with rice or chapattis.

1. In a pressure cooker add dal and wash, changing water several times until the water appears clear.

In the Cooker add split Green Moong

Wash Green Moong Dal

2. Once Dal is soaked wash and rinse.

Soak Dal in water

Wash and rinse Dal

​3. Add thawed or fresh chopped spinach and 5 cups of water.

Green Moong Dal is soaked

Add chopped spinach

Add water

Mix water with spinach and Dal

4. Add Turmeric powder and salt and mix everything together, close the lid of the pressure cooker and place the weight on the lid, turn the heat to medium high.

Add Turmeric powder & Salt

Mix Turmeric and salt

Close the pressure cooker

Open the Pressure cooker

5. In about 8 to 10 minutes pressure cooker will start steaming, turn the heat down and cook for 12 to 15 minutes. Turn the stove off and wait until steam goes down. Different brand of cooker require different time to cook.

6. While dal is cooking prepare the onion and cumin seed tadka and keep them aside. (see below for for tadka directions)

7. Open the pressure cooker. Turn the stove on to medium heat, with the cooking spoon mix dal well so there are no lumps and cook for 5 to 6 minutes or until spinach and moong dal blend in together.​8. Moong dal should get over cook so that spinach and moong dal blend in.

With a spoon mix Dal & Spinach well

Dal and Spinach are cooked

9. Once spinach and Dal blend in well add onion tadka in the dal and mix and cook, stirring frequently so that dal does not stick to the bottom.

10. If the Dal looks thick then add some water. ​

Add Onion Tadka

With a spoon mix Onion Tadka

11. Let the dal cook for 7 to 8 minutes, once onion tadka, Dal and Spinach blend well with each other and you have the desired consistency add cumin seed​ tadka, cook for1 minute and turn the stove off.

12. When ready to serve, transfer dal in a serving bowl and pour hot chili tadka​ over dal. (see below for chili tadka)

Moong Dal with Spinach Dal blend

Add Cumin seed Tadka

Moong dal with Spinach is ready

Moong Dal with Spinach

Moong Dal with Spinach

Tips:

1. If you wish you can skip onion tadka or any other tadka and alter Dal to your taste.

2. Use pressure cooker to cook dal, otherwise it takes too long to cook the dal.Directions for cumin seed tadka:(Tadka)

1. In a small pan (tadka spoon) add 1 tablespoon oil, cumin seeds, and pinch of asafetida and fry them for 2 to 3 minutes or until cumin seeds become dark brown. Take it off the stove.Directions for hot chili tadka:(Hot oil)(tadka)

1. In a small pan (tadka pan) heat 2 tablespoons ghee or melted butter add crushed red chilies or red chili powder and fry them on very low heat for 1 to 2 minutes or until the red chilies fried, turn the heat.

1. On medium heat in small pan heat 2 tablespoons oil, add chopped onions and minced garlic and sauté them 5 to 7 minutes, or until they become light brown. Frequently keep stirring the onions.

2. Add chopped tomatoes, grated or chopped ginger and chopped green chilies and cook. With the spatula try to mash the tomatoes so that they become soft quickly. In about 5 to 6 minutes tomatoes will become soft and blend in with onions. Turn the stove off.

﻿Please take the time to let me know what you think about my recipe. Your comments would be helpful to me to improve the recipe.